


The Wink and Shimmy

by buriedbybooks



Category: Leverage
Genre: Canon Compliant, Grifting, Multi, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24083992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buriedbybooks/pseuds/buriedbybooks
Summary: Parker knows that she’s gotten better at grifting--Sophie’s coaching was invaluable--but the grift she still finds the most uncomfortable is the wink and shimmy.  So why did she plan this particular con so that she has to go in and lead the mark?
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Comments: 16
Kudos: 149





	The Wink and Shimmy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JustAsSweet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAsSweet/gifts).



> There’s a deleted scene from The Snow Job, which shows Parker’s memories of trying to do a “Wink and Shimmy.” Needless to say, it didn’t go smoothly. I thought it would be fun to explore the OT3 post-canon small-team dynamic, and how Parker as the new Mastermind would tackle this style of grift.
> 
> Many thanks to JustAsSweet for bouncing ideas with me and making sure that I keep true to the characters.

Parker frowned as she stared at the workboards. The plan was solid, she just didn’t like it. If she stared at it long enough, Parker hoped that she would be able to reorient some component and use that to alter the con. Unfortunately, she’d just picked the last lock in her practice box, so she was out of time. Parker had promised herself that she wouldn’t waste her time, or her partners’ time, by quibbling about the plan. Not that Eliot or Hardison would complain about her tweaking the plan--they were more than merely supportive of her new role as the mastermind. It just felt like not using a perfectly good plan because she didn’t like it was pandering to her weaknesses instead of forcing herself to strengthen them.

Sighing, Parker chucked the now open padlock into her “done” box and propped her elbows on her knees. Moving from her perch on the counter wouldn’t change the facts. She was going to have to be a grifter on this job, and the role would be an extended one--not just a single conversation. Parker knew that she could handle one conversation and not stab the mark. Longer...

“What’s with the big sigh, darlin’?”

Parker had heard Eliot’s tread on the stairs, and smelled the fresh popcorn as his steps got closer, so she wasn’t surprised by his voice behind her. She bumped him gently with her shoulder as he slid onto the stool next to where she perched, and happily dug into the popcorn which he set in front of him. Munching, she tilted her head as she kept staring at the board. Nope. No new way to put the pieces together, despite the popcorn brain food.

Eliot tapped her on the knee, blocking her hand when she would have reached for another handful. “Somethin’ about the plan bother you?”

It was that tone, the one that said he knew something was off, but was giving her room to tell him. It was the tone that said Eliot might push later if he thought he needed to. Or get Hardison to do it.

“Nothing wrong with your plan, mama,” Hardison’s voice chimed in from the doorway to the pub. He’d just been checking on the wait staff so that Parker had the room to herself. She’d told him to come back, and he was right on time.

Drifting over to them, Hardison stopped to press a kiss to the top of her head as he passed by. The pause in his movement before he took a seat on the other side of Eliot meant he’d probably done the same with their hitter. Hardison grabbed a handful of popcorn and chewed loudly. “What aren’t you happy with?” he asked.

Sighing again, Parker spun so that she was perpendicular to the board and could see both it and her partners. “It’s a wink and shimmy. If our mark were remotely gay, I’d send Eliot.”

“Yeah, Eliot’s kinda hard to resist when he turns on the charm,” Hardison agreed with a self-satisfied kind of smirk. “Give us a shimmy, Eliot?”

Eliot grunted and crossed his arms, shooting a ‘cool it’ glare at the hacker. “I’m not remotely his type Parker. We’ve done the research--he gets combative around men and likes working with women because he thinks he can control them. Fancies himself a ladies’ man. You’re the right person to lead him around by his nose.”

Taking a deep breath, Parker held it a moment. She could tell them. They knew her. “I’ve never done a long version of the wink and shimmy before. And you can’t be coaching me for the whole thing on this one--Hardison is going to need to be in place on staff at the company and concentrate on getting copies of all of the files. Eliot, you’re going to need to be on the ground yourself to make sure we have something to sell him.”

The narrowing of Eliot’s eyes as he studied her was reassuring. He was the strongest grifter of the three of them, and he was taking her concerns seriously. “You are a lot better at reading and manipulating people now. Just don’t tase him before you’ve convinced him to buy the fake start-up, and we’ll be fine.”

“We’ll be on comms and can help out as we can. You don’t need us to coach you, babe, but we’ll be there if you need us.” Hardison’s tone had lost the teasing bite he’d used with Eliot. His shoulders were relaxed, and his hands were fiddling with unpopped kernels, so he was utterly confident in what he was saying. If his hands had been still, she’d have known he was worried.

Parker turned to consider the board again. Their mark was Colton Michaels, CEO of a drug patent company who hired recent graduates, paid them a pittance, and then stole their research. The woman who came to them with the case had said that Michaels’ lawyer was a bulldog of a man who switched out the version of the signed contract so that the research associates had no legal recourse. From the team’s recon, Parker knew that the best they could do was steal back the research, bankrupt the man, and ruin his reputation so he couldn’t just go out and start all over again. It was ambitious--three parts and three of them to pull it off. It would have felt far more comfortable with Nate and Sophie around, but she had every confidence in her team.

“Then we start tomorrow. Hardison, have you lined up your interview with the company?”

Parker started to run through final checks with both men, putting aside her unease in favor of making sure everything was in place.

*******

Parker tugged on the hem of her dress and twitched her shoulders as she looked in the mirror. She didn’t mind fitted clothing--it was better for climbing and crawling through ventilation shafts--but this dress was constricting. Every time she moved it seemed the hem pulled up or the neckline pulled down. Between the tight skirt and the heels her normal stride was reduced to a mince. The dress was also a bright color--hard to miss. At least it didn’t have sequins or other flashy bits, she supposed.

She examined herself critically. The outfit was perfect for her alias--Tegan Jovanka, a woman who had inherited her family’s medical supply company, and now ran the business herself. The dress was red and black, fitted to perfection and said _confidence_. The heels matched the dress and said _business_ at the same time they also said _sexy_. No diamond this time to do the talking for her; just an understated gold chain and small hoops.

Sophie was the one who loved clothes, and could probably be classified as an addict when it came to shopping. Eliot had an appreciation for them and used them as surely as any knife. Hardison collected them and wore suits and sweatshirts with equal ease. Parker’s first criteria when it came to her clothing was functionality. Comfort and style were second and a distant third. Unless style was key to the clothing’s functionality, such as was the case with this dress.

Parker started her checklist for instigating the grift.

_Let the clothing do the work_

The outfit said exactly what it needed to.

_Don’t over play the role_

Parker had watched Sophie do this for years, and worked to learn what the grifter had taught her. Sophie was brilliant when it came to being the alias and letting the mark fill in what she wasn’t saying. It was easier for Parker when her role was bossing people around, or acting as weird as she possibly could, but she was getting more comfortable with normal.

_Make Hardison jealous_

That was something Eliot had added to her checklist when he’d helped her pick out the dress. If she could layer in something that made it more of a game between the three of them, it would help her relax. Even if the mark didn’t know the why of it, the result would be the mark reading the relaxation as confidence. It would also, Eliot told her, help her with flirting.

“Remember how you had so much in common with that thief at the Venezuelan embassy? Drove Hardison nuts thinking you’d prefer that. Find those commonalities, play to them. Sometimes it’s easier than flirtin’, and has some of the same effect.”

Parker had asked Eliot if he’d ever used that strategy when going in for a con. Eliot had paused, considered, then cocked his head and winked at her with a slow grin.

“Which one?” Parker had demanded.

“That would be telling,” Eliot teased. “Figure it out, darlin’.”

That had sent Parker stewing over which con Eliot had used the strategy on, analyzing what could remember about his previous grifts. She collated the phrases she had heard over the comms, checked what she remembered seeing in his body language, looking for a tell. Something that had been fundamentally different underneath the character.

Parker had cornered Eliot in the kitchen when she figured it out a few hours later. Hardison had been out establishing his position at the company, so she’d known they wouldn’t be interrupted.

“It was the social media job.”

Eliot’s sly expression and suggestive eyebrow twitch told her that he was incredibly pleased with himself, and her for figuring it out.

Standing in front of the mirror and adjusting her hem one more time, Parker recalled everything she could from that con. It would give her a starting place for hooking Colton Michaels.

**_“Damn, can that man work a suit”_ **

“Donovan just entered the cafe.”

Parker and Hardison were sitting in Lucille, watching the cameras while Eliot was in charge of laying the hook for their latest mark: Donovan, a man who had created a new social media platform sensation and was selling people’s identities to the highest bidder.

“I saw him.” Eliot’s voice came through the comms. Calm, unruffled, and not yet in character. Parker wondered what voice his character would take on.

“Remember, he’s tech savvy and watches lots of SciFi. Bought opening night tickets to see the latest Schaer movie.”

“Yeah, I got it, Hardison. He’s a nerd,” Eliot snapped in response.

“Hey, man, age of the geek. Don’t underestimate him,” Hardison shot back, his fingers flying over the keyboard in front of him, pulling up the feed from surveillance cameras inside the cafe.

“Whatever. I’m goin’ in. Don’t be jabbering in my ear the whole time, ok?” Eliot’s voice was a growl.

Parker watched as Eliot entered the video feed showing the cafe’s patio. He shot a wink toward the camera and adjusted his suit jacket before going into the shop.

“Damn, can that man work a suit,” Hardison whistled, watching the same feed she was. “Don’t get to see it too often, but, damn.”

Tilting her head and switching her gaze to watching the cafe’s interior cameras, Parker had to agree. It was unusual to see Eliot wearing a suit. He seemed to find satisfaction in the camouflage it gave him, that it helped him downplay just how strong he really was. Still, he didn’t get to use it much.

Hardison was seeing something else, though; he was admiring the aesthetic. Parker agreed with that, too.

“Alright, and here we go…” Hardison pressed a few more buttons, and Parker knew he was starting to record everything off of Eliot’s comm so that they could re-analyze the conversation later if need be.

Parker watched and listened as Eliot met the mark. The cafe was crowded, so Eliot turned his most charming smile and asked if Donovan would mind sharing a table for a little while.

“I’m in town for a meeting; couldn’t go without coffee first.” Eliot had softened the gruff edges of his voice and leaned his accent more midwestern than southern.

“Business meeting?” Donovan asked. His posture had gone from annoyed to intrigued. Eliot’s smile could do that.

“Business. I developed a dating app, you see, would integrate really well in social media platforms instead of being a separate paid service. It would be more of an option package, like an expansion pack.”

Parker felt Hardison perk up beside her and shot him a curious look. He was staring at Eliot’s image on the screen and his eyes had widened in surprise. “Oh no, he didn’t…” Hardison muttered under his breath. 

Distracted by Hardison, Parker almost missed the Donovan leaning forward. “You’re a gamer? What’s your favorite?”

“I play a little--Civ, some Halo, helps me think.” Eliot almost tossed it away. “You?”

“The Final Fantasy franchise is a classic, but I also like trying the new games as they come out.” Donovan leaned back in his chair. “Wars or Trek?”

Eliot leaned forward, as if settling in for an intense discussion. “Star Wars, the originals. Nothing better than a space cowboy.”

“So you’re a fan of Firefly?”

“Absolutely. You?”

“More of a fan of Buffy, but yeah, I can get behind it.”

“Prefer a tiny blonde to Gina Torres, do you? To each his own, I guess.”

“Actually, I was thinking more of Boreanaz and Marsters.”

Eliot gave Donovan a wicked grin, and settled back in his chair. “Good taste.”

There was a mangled squawk from beside her, causing Parker to jerk back toward Hardison. He’d slapped a hand across his mouth, and there was a flush across the tops of his cheekbones. When he realized that Parker was watching him, Hardison let his hand fall.

“Who is that man, and what did he do with Eliot?” Hardison demanded. “Did you know he was going to do this?”

Parker was drawing a blank. What had Hardison so worked up? Eliot was playing the role perfectly. Donovan was practically ready to eat out of his hand.

“You do the programing yourself for that app?” Donovan’s voice continued.

“Me an’ my partner.”

“Partner?”

“College friend, she’s the social mastermind, I just put the pieces together. Nothin’ much.”

Hardison turned to monitors again. “Not cool, man. Not cool. Programming isn’t work to sneeze at.”

Parker slapped a hand over her partner’s mouth as soon as she realized he was going to start ranting at Eliot over the comms. They were close. Eliot didn’t need the distraction. Even if seeing Hardison get worked up was rather entertaining. She would have brought popcorn to eat--and chuck at Hardison’s head--if she’d realized the con was going to affect the hacker this way.

By the time Hardison had calmed down and Parker could actually pay attention to Eliot again, the hitter had pretty much sunk the hook as deep as it could go. Turning back to the monitors, they could see that the two men were standing up and getting ready to head their separate ways.

“Come by my office this afternoon and bring your prototypes,” Donovan was saying.

“Absolutely, man. Lookin’ forward to it,” Eliot agreed holding out a fist.

“No, don’ you dare…” Hardison muttered.

Donovan slapped Eliot’s hand and somehow, even though the men had only just met, did a fist-bump hand shake that looked reminiscent of what Parker had seen Eliot and Hardison do.

“Oh, no you didn’t. You’re a dead man, Eliot Spencer. You better not come back here after having done that. You’re dead to me, and I can burn your aliases too, just see if I don’t,” Hardison started ranting.

Parker could tell from the hacker’s tone and rhythm that he was deeply offended at the gesture of camaraderie he’d just seen.

“We’re outta here, mama. He can just walk back. No way is he getting in Lucille. No way, no how. That traitor,” Hardison muttered as he shut down his computers.

The fact that he was still talking and hadn’t turned off the earbud he still wore told Parker that this rant was more flash than substance. She wished that she had something munchy so that she could really enjoy the fireworks she suspected were about to start. There was no point trying to talk Hardison back down. That would be Eliot’s task when he got back.

Which happened before Hardison had gotten packed up enough to drive off without him.

Eliot opened the back and climbed into the van. He caught Parker’s eye and sent her one of his shivery winks. This was intentional on his part. All of it.

Hardison was still muttering to himself, ignoring Eliot.

The hitter grabbed Hardison by the shoulder and spun him around. “Liked that, did you?”

“You hate video games unless they’re first person shooters.”

“It’s a grift, Hardsion. Had to sell it.” Eliot’s tone was one of suppressed amusement. Parker could tell, but wondered if Hardison was too worked up to listen for it.

Hardison snorted.

Parker saw Hardison’s jaw soften slightly as he unclenched it, and he stopped pulling back from Eliot’s hold on his shoulder.

“You shouldn’t have done the fist bump, bro, that’s our thing,” Hardison protested eventually when Eliot didn’t continue defending himself.

“Jealous?” Eliot asked. His eyes were narrowed as he stared hard at the hacker.

“Damn straight. You talk geek with someone else. See if I explain one of my World of Warcraft campaigns to you again.”

Eliot slid his hand up to the back of Hardison’s neck and pulled him closer, pressing a kiss to the man’s forehead. Parker was entertained to realize that Hardison wasn’t resisting at all any more. The bickering was just blowing off steam for them both.

“Don’t be. Learned it from listening to you. You talk about it enough that some of it stuck. Let’s get out of here; I’m driving.”

*******

“Meeting the mark now,” she murmured under her breath, knowing that Eliot and Hardison would be listening.

Parker sauntered into the CEO’s office, walking right past the personal assistant and waving her away. Act like you own the place, and people usually let you. 

“You got this, babe,” Hardison’s voice exuded confidence and affection. It helped to know that he’d be listening. “I’m in the system in case you need an exit.”

“She won’t need an exit, Hardison. She’s going to have him hooked as soon as she walks in the door,” Eliot argued.

Parker shushed them as she pushed open the CEO’s door. No more asides to her partners.

“Mr. Michaels, thank you so much for seeing me,” Parker said as she approached the desk and held out her hand, palm down.

Colton Michaels stood to take her hand and pressed her fingers. “The pleasure is mine. Please, have a seat.”

He was aware of her alias, then, and the social norms Tegan Jovanka would expect. Even if she did arrive at his place of business unannounced and without an appointment. Hardison had started working on her social media presence and created buzz around her inherited company at the same time he’d started setting up his own position at Michaels’s company. The extra lead time on this con had been worth it.

Parker took the chair opposite his desk and smoothed her skirt as she crossed her legs. _Draw his attention with subtle gestures._

“I’m so sorry to barge in like this, but, you see, I couldn’t wait to meet you. I’ve been doing research on your company, and I’m very impressed by what you have been able to accomplish.” Parker knew she couldn’t do specific accents like Sophie did, so she tried to soften her voice and make it a bit breathy. The added benefit, as Sophie had coached, was breathing a bit faster to add that rhythm to her speech would add another layer of physicality to her character.

“Why thank you, Miss Jovanka. I’ve been reading up on you as well, congratulations on taking over your family’s company.”

“Oh, call me Tegan. I really do hope that we will end up working together. I’ve had such big ideas for the company for years, but couldn’t really do anything about them until now. And I’m hoping you’ll help me.” Parker gave Michaels her half smile and tilted her head slightly. The micro-expression was one she had practiced, figuring out exactly what memory to use to elicit the correct response, crinkled eyes and all. This memory was of Hardison when he realized he had been completely derailed and gave her one of his sheepish, quirky smiles in apology.

The CEO sitting opposite her leaned back in his chair and laced his hands across his stomach, tapping his thumbs together as he considered her. “What did you have in mind?”

Colton Michaels, Parker decided, was a smooth operator. She had been prepared for overly slick, overly aggressive, overly something, but his manner was generally understated. At least so far.

Parker rocked one of her ankles gently, making one of her heeled feet swing as she considered him. “I have been overseeing a project, looking at more… monetarily efficient ways to produce some of our medical supplies. Part of it, of course, is outsourcing the parts and materials. Final assembly has to happen in the country, of course, to limit scrutiny; and if we keep our products mainly in the Class I category, the regulations are even less stringent. One of the categories of products that we are finding to be the most lucrative are parceling and packaging equipment and materials for prescription and unregulated drugs, which is right up your alley. I am hoping that if we invest in it together, we’ll both turn a tidy profit.”

There was a satisfied grunt in her ear. From that, she could tell that Eliot approved of how she’d delivered the hook the team had developed.

Michaels continued to tap his thumbs for a moment, studying her. Parker kept her gaze confident but not challenging. _Think about creating rigging for Eliot or Hardison… haven’t tossed Hardison off anything in a while…_

The man across from her finally leaned forward. “I like how you think, Tegan. I will need to see the work that you have been doing, and see if it meshes with our business plan. But it sounds very promising.”

Parker let her smile grow and turn sly. _Watching Eliot take out guards._ “I’m glad you agree. As I said, I’m looking for a… mutually beneficial arrangement.”

There was a choking sound in her ear and a thump. Had Hardison fallen off his chair? That couldn’t have been Eliot, because she heard his amused snort clearly. Parker decided to count that as success at the wink. Now for a shimmy.

“Can I take you out for a celebratory lunch? I’m craving a good drink and salty food right about now.”

That was definitely Hardison choking, because Eliot started laughing outright. “Don’t lay it on too thick, now, darlin’. Let him come to you.”

“What did you have in mind?” the CEO leaned further forward and he was no longer looking her directly in the eye.

Parker stood and turned toward the door. “There’s a gastro-pub just around the corner; their specialty is mixed drinks. Food is good too.”

“That’s the place with the homemade pretzels. You’re taking him for pretzels? Seriously?!” Hardison was no longer choking. He was losing it. Hopefully he wasn’t surrounded by other researchers and yelling at thin air. That would definitely get Hardison fired.

Colton Michaels stood up from his desk, straightened his jacket, and gestured for her to precede him. “Please, lead the way. I know that restaurant; you have wonderful taste.”

As soon as her back was to the mark, Parker grinned to herself. Hook sunk. And she could contend with a jealous Hardison when they all met back at the office. Eliot could help since it had been his idea.

*******

Hardison was quiet when he made it back after a full day at Michaels’s company. He went straight into his room to change out of the rather preppy outfit that he had on and dump his bag. Uncharacteristically, the hacker didn’t say a word. Parker widened her eyes at Eliot where he stood at the counter, chopping vegetables that he would somehow turn into a tasty meal.

The hitter just shrugged and shook his head. “May have gone a bit too far to use pretzels in the con.”

“You said to make him jealous,” Parker protested, hopping up onto the counter beside where he was working.

Eliot twirled his knife and then pointed at her with the handle. “The suggestive language was working just fine, sweetheart. Pretzels was kicking him while he was down.”

“I didn’t mention pretzels; we didn’t have pretzels.” Parker had gotten some fruity mixed drink and a salad with parmesan and chicken on it that seemed like something Tegan would eat. Parker would have preferred a burger or something fried. Or a pretzel, but that was something she did with Hardison and Eliot.

“But we do. Every time we go there.”

Parker frowned. She hadn’t meant to push so far that she actually hurt Hardison. She hoped she hadn’t actually hurt him.

Eliot paused what he was doing and set down the knife when he saw her expression. Coming to stand close so his thighs pressed against her knees, he tucked her hair back behind her ear and cupped her cheek. “He’ll get over it. Alec’s irrepressible. May have to tease him a bit, but that’s part of the fun.”

Parker leaned into his hand and felt herself smile crookedly at him.

She looked past Eliot’s shoulder when she heard Hardison’s shuffling footsteps come into the room. Eliot turned his head to look the same direction. Parker saw him raise his eyebrow, and she agreed. This wasn’t what she had expected. Hardison ranted, or buried himself in work, or went and blew up orcs or something in one of his games.

Parker went through what she’d heard over the comms, but Hardison had been mostly quiet all day. She had thought that it was because he was surrounded by people, but now she knew there was another layer to it. His shoulders were hunched a bit and his hands lacked energy. Holding out one hand to Hardison, she used her other to tug on the back of Eliot’s shirt so that they opened up a space for their hacker. He didn’t argue, coming in close and stooping a little so that they could all rest their foreheads together.

“What happened?” Parker asked.

“It’s worse than we were told,” Hardison answered after a moment. “He’s not just stealing their work, he’s framing them for plagiarism later on, ruining their careers. Even if I get the files, reconstruct their watermarks, these kids--”

Eliot snorted. “They’re the same age as you, some of them are older.”

Hardison shot the hitter a glare. “ _Kids_. I’ve tracked more of them down; they can’t do what they want to do because Michaels essentially black balled them.”

Parker twisted her neck slightly so she could kiss Hardison’s cheek. “We’ll fix it. All of it. No one will believe that the work was ever his after we get done with him.”

“I know.” Hardison sighed. “Long day. And someone,” he continued with a hang-dog look. “Someone went to our favorite pretzel place without me.”

He was teasing, so it was all okay. Eliot patted Hardison on the shoulder and then went back to work preparing dinner. Hardison backed up and leaned against the opposite counter. Kicking her legs now that they had room, Parker made a face at them. “I ate a salad. And it wasn’t one of Eliot’s salads.”

Eliot reached up into a cupboard and pulled out a bag of chocolate buttons. Parker happily accepted and hummed her appreciation.

“You were flirting with him at our pretzel place. Where’d you learn to do that with your voice?” Hardison demanded.

“Eliot taught me.”

Parker had been looking into the bag trying to decide which button to eat next so she missed Hardison’s expression, but the sputtering and “Eliot taught you to flirt with other guys and do a shimmy as well as Sophie? Our Eliot. The one who punches things and usually just stares at someone until they give him what he wants. That Eliot?” told her that Parker had completely unwound whatever had been tangled up inside Hardison.

Looking up, she glanced at Eliot. He caught her gaze and winked. His entire expression said, ‘I told you it was fun.’ Parker didn’t disagree. Turning back to Hardison, she shrugged. “He’s good at the wink and shimmy.”

“And I’m not?”

“You’re… different,” Parker answered.

“Couldn’t have her doin’ your sort of techno-babble at the man,” Eliot added.

“I’ma go hang out with people who appreciate my techno babble,” Hardison retorted. He grabbed one of his orange sodas from the fridge and headed over to his gaming laptop which was set up in the living room.

Parker watched him go. Hardison’s characters were really caricatures, unless he used some version of himself. And those aliases seduced through their sincerity. There might come a time when she needed to do that in this particular grift, but that time had not yet come.

**_“A body can get lost in that stare”_ **

“He’s not doing one of his voices.” Parker noted with a frown.

She was sitting in Lucille watching the screens that Hardison had cued up before he’d left. Zooming in, Parker examined the grainy video feed of Hardison and their mark.

“No, he’s not,” Eliot agreed, his voice coming in over the comms. “How’s he lookin’?”

Parker studied what she could see of Hardison’s expression. It exuded interest and sincerity. “Good. Intense. Keeps staring at her. Is he even blinking?”

Eliot’s warm chuckle settled Parker’s unease. “A body can get lost in that stare, sweetheart. He’d doin’ fine.”

Their mark was Kathryn Carrere, a political fixer who would do everything from framing opponents to organizing smear campaigns or procuring certain contracts. For the right price. Carrere had smeared the reputation of a local non-profit that was standing in the way of her client, and the head of that non-profit had asked for the help of Leverage Inc.

Nate had taught them that in fights over reputation, it was important to make it so that Carrere would never be trusted or find work in this arena again. In discrediting Carrere, it would acquit the people she’d smeared.

The team had sat down with their research and reconnaissance, and found that one of Carrere’s weaknesses was adulation. With each client she took, Carrere’s reputation grew. It was Hardison who had pointed out the key--she used to be a sales-personality on television and had a series of failed attempts to enter modeling, acting, and news casting. She wanted the attention.

Usually, she would have Eliot go in and charm their mark so that the mark dug her own grave and walked into it. But with the political and criminal ties that this woman had cultivated, Parker wanted Eliot free to maneuver in case it became necessary. That left Hardison on grift for this one.

Before heading out to set the hook, Parker had heard Eliot tell their partner, “Remember, slow seduction, not rapid overload. Don’t overplay it.” The hitter’s voice had been a combination of soft and gruff; she wished she’d been able to see his face.

But it looked like Hardison had listened. He chatted with Kathryn Carrere easily, but not excessively. And he wasn’t doing one of his voices. Parker was still glad that there were no Russians involved. Hardison had bad luck with Russians.

Parker found herself analyzing their body language and tones more than listening to the actual words. Hardison looked completely relaxed--even his hands, which were one of her best ways of gauging his moods. And he sounded like himself at his most sincere, even though he was in the role of Ben Jackson, an up-and-coming screenwriter in town to help with a new production. They were laughing and chatting about the art of writing and filming. Occasionally, Hardison would reach across the table and touch Carrere’s hand. Parker did note that he used that gesture when she laughed, and took a sip of his drink whenever she smiled. That was a sense-memory programming strategy that Sophie had taught them all early one.

Eliot climbed into the back of the van, coming over to crouch beside her seat and tapped his earbud to turn it off momentarily. “Everything’s clear at the moment. Sounds like he’s about done. He’s doing good.”

Parker turned and frowned at him, turning off her earbud as well. It wasn’t something she liked doing during a job, but she could still hear Hardison’s feed over the speakers in the van. “He looks vulnerable,” she told Eliot.

The hitter raised an eyebrow at her, making it disappear underneath his skull cap. “Hardison is far from vulnerable.”

Parker snorted. Hardison wasn’t usually this soft with people, and it irritated her to see him like this with other people. Irritated, concerned, jealous. She named the mixed feelings to herself as she turned back to the screen. Parker had gotten better at handling her emotions as long as she identified them.

Eliot tapped her knee with a hand. “Hardison’s doing good.” he repeated. “She’s hooked.”

He left her in the van to do another sweep and keep watch until Hardison made it back to the van. Parker glared after him for a moment before turning to watch Hardison. She turned her comm back on. “Wrap it up, Hardison. We need to leave her wanting more.”

On the video, she saw Hardison’s quirky grin, and knew he’d heard her. And listened. A few moments later, he stood, held Carrere’s chair for her and walked her out to her car.

*******

Parker was in another power-dress and pair of impractical stilettos. She was getting better at walking with the tall spiked heels, but she still didn’t like them. At least they didn’t have straps so she could yank them off if she needed to run. She took the stairs down to their briefing space slowly and carefully. Idly she debated if it would have been quicker to rig a harness and descend that way.

Eliot and Hardison were waiting for her next to the counter. Eliot was dressed in the preppy outfit and glasses of his alias--the shady lawyer who helped Tegan Jovanka find legal ways to cut corners and increase profit margins on medical supplies, regardless of the potential risk to consumers. He was going to help her close the deal with Colton Michaels today.

Hardison had called in sick to work so that his alias wouldn’t be expected at Michaels’s company today. Parker wanted all hands on deck, and Hardison would be following them in Lucille to help make sure that there were no surprises. Even more important, as soon as Michaels and his lawyer, Charles Napier, transferred the money and signed the papers, Hardison would be able to put the final nails in the man’s coffin.

Hardison had already created press releases for the purchase, as well as investigative reports showing how the products and certifications were shoddy. Packaging wasn’t sterile, products were defective, and the drugs made and sold using these processes were contaminated. The company that purchased this monstrosity of a business cut corners itself, including stealing the research of its employees. And as soon as Hardison could write the checks, the money would go to all of the current and former employees.

But, first, time to land the mark. This didn’t work without the legal transfer of part of Tegan’s company to Colton Michaels.

“Ready?” Parker asked as she came to stand with her partners.

“Let’s do this,” Hardison replied, shouldering his bag.

Eliot tossed Hardison the keys to Lucille and pulled his own from a jacket pocket. “Meet you there.”

Parker rode with Eliot. She liked the Challenger; it was fast, and it perfectly matched the image that they wanted to portray today. She also liked Eliot’s silence. Hardison could be quiet too, but it wasn’t his default. Today she needed that quiet.

So far, Parker had been able to keep playing Tegan Jovanka, who had their mark thinking that he was five steps ahead of her and about to sign a deal that would essentially give him control of Tegan’s ‘company.’ Just one more time. Keep the lies straight. Keep the mannerisms in place. The silence helped her find each piece of Tegan and put her in place before they arrived at Napier’s offices.

“Ready?” Eliot asked as he parked, echoing her earlier question.

Parker nodded. She waited in the car for Eliot to come around and hand her out, as Tegan would expect. When they got inside, Michaels and Napier were obviously waiting for them, papers in hand. Michaels was eager.

Eliot gave Napier one of his false ‘aw shucks’ smiles and held out a hand to shake. “I’m looking forward to working with you more during this partnership.”

As planned, Eliot cut Napier away from Michaels, leaving the two of them to discuss the stack of papers in the CEO’s hands.

“Do you find the contract satisfactory?” Parker asked, stepping slightly closer to him and gracefully tapping a finger on the papers he held.

“More than,” Michaels agreed with a smile.

There was the predator again. It came out in his smile now that he thought she was cornered. “I’ll admit, I’m hoping that this business venture will be the beginning of a few more. Quid pro quo, you know,” she said, cozying up to his side a bit as he set the papers on the desk and started flipping through them.

“Did you just rhyme?” Hardison’s voice said in her ear, and she could tell that he was trying not to laugh.

Eliot coughed from where he stood on the other side of the room.

Parker frowned. She wasn’t trying to be funny. She was trying to be Tegan.

“Something the matter?” Michaels asked, catching the expression on her face.

Parker felt her stomach drop, and not in the fun way it did when she jumped off a building. Tegan. Tegan would…

“Breathe, Parker,” Hardison ordered.

 _Eliot teaching Hardison how to fight. Boxing because of the hacker’s reach._ She turned her genuine smile on her mark. “Just wondering when I can take you out for a drink again.”

The man opposite her didn’t look quite convinced.

_Sincerity._

Parker’s smile turned sly. “I always want to celebrate when I make money.”

Colton Michaels laughed, and she knew that it had worked. “Then let’s get these papers signed; Napier can transfer the money to your account. And I’ll let you buy me lunch.”

*******

As soon as she was upstairs in their apartment, Parker kicked off her shoes so that they thunked against the wall. Good riddance. Flopping on the couch, she stared at the ceiling. They’d won. Hardison had confirmed the transfer of money had been successful, and had started to leak news of the bad processes that they’d conglomerated to make Tegan’s fake company.

Eliot must have heard the shoes hit the wall because just a few moments later, he was leaning over the back of the couch and staring down at her. “Lunch that bad?”

Parker made a face. “Salad. Again. And one of those fruity drinks with an umbrella in it.”

Eliot’s huff of amusement brushed against her face and Parker couldn’t stop her responding grin. Even if she had wanted to. “Chocolate?” She asked plaintively.

“Cake’s already in the oven.” Eliot bent closer to her so that he could press his lips to her nose. “You did good, sweetheart.”

She had done it. Had been Tegan Jovanka. Words pressed together, things she wanted to say, things she should say, but didn’t. Parker reached up to push Eliot’s hair out of his face and lifted herself up on an elbow so that she could kiss him gently.

Flopping back down, Parker studied Eliot’s wry smile, the soft one with a hint of mockery--both at her and himself. He understood.

“You two getting into trouble over here?” Hardison asked as he came into the room, tablet in one hand, checkbook in the other. “While I’m still doin’ all the work?”

Eliot raised an eyebrow at him, and Parker just lifted her legs so that Hardison could join her on the couch. When he sat down, she laid her legs back down over his lap. His checkbook and tablet ended up on her shins, and Hardison’s hand wrapped around her ankle.

Leaning his head back against the couch, Hardison looked up at Eliot. “What’re you looming over us for?”

Eliot crossed his arms and loomed taller, moving so that he was standing directly behind where Hardison sat on the couch and staring him down. Parker turned her laugh inward as she watched, not wanting to interrupt.

“Man, you’re not even that tall, but you look really intimidating from down here,” Hardison teased, still looking straight up at their partner. “Intimidating, and making...chocolate cake?” He sniffed and raised an eyebrow at the hitter.

Eliot gave one of his careless shrugs and stayed silent. Still staring.

“Yeah, I agree, she’s earned it.” Hardison’s fingers had slid down from her ankle and were gently massaging a foot now. Parker decided that she’d allow it.

“How many checks do you have to write?” Eliot eventually asked, after studying Hardison’s face for a few moments.

Sighing, Hardison moved to look at his tablet. “Company’s been running for over ten years; it’s always been small, but I think I have a list of one hundred or more employees he’s stolen from over the years.”

Parker could see the frown lines on Hardison’s face and didn’t like it. She shot Eliot a glare. He started this, he could fix it.

Eliot’s eyes crinkled at the corners when he saw her expression. Looking back at Hardison, he placed a hand on the hacker’s neck and used his strong fingers to gently tilt Hardison’s head back so that he was looking up again. Leaning in, Eliot gently gave him an upside-down kiss. “It can wait for tomorrow. The cake will be done shortly, and someone,” Eliot tipped his head in Parker’s direction, “likes to celebrate stealing money.”

Hardison chuckled in response. “Yeah. Yeah, I can handle that.”

Parker stretched contentedly as Hardison moved the checkbook from her legs, and Eliot disappeared into the kitchen as a timer went off. Hardison was about to move the tablet as well, but checked the screen again.

His face broke into a wide, wicked grin. Hardison raised his voice so that Eliot could also hear him in the kitchen. “Hey, man, that cake alright to sit and cool for a bit?”

Eliot came into their line of sight and glared at them. “Yeah. Always. You know that.”

Parker rolled her eyes, knowing Eliot couldn't see her. Who cared if the cake needed to cool down to achieve some specific consistency. Chocolate was chocolate, and it was delicious.

“Well, if we want to go gloat, looks like Michaels is going to be questioned by the local police for bribing a DA to drop an early plagiarism case. With what we leaked, they have enough to question and try him again.” Hardison held up his tablet to show them. “Warrant just came through, so if we leave now, we’ll be able to watch them take him in.”

Looking at Hardison’s gleeful expression, and Eliot’s smug one, Parker agreed. “Let me find different shoes; Eliot’s driving.”

Seeing the mark fall apart was absolutely worth delaying chocolate.


End file.
